El-P and Killer Mike have been navigating their way nimbly through hip-hop's mean streets for almost two decades. Ever since debuting on OutKast's Stankonia, Atlanta-based Mike's been providing an articulate alternative to trap, while El-P was a key member of pioneering underground rap troupe Company Flow before founding the influential Def Jux label and collaborating with the Mars Volta and Trent Reznor. This year, the pair joined forces to form Run The Jewels. Here's what they've learned about how to stay relevant in the fickle business of rap.

1 Timing is everything

KILLER MIKE "We dropped two of the best rap albums of 2012, Cancer 4 Cure [El-P] and RAP Music [Killer Mike]. They outshined a lot of the major [label] stuff so I was confident that our chemistry together was going to be a force to be reckoned with. It had been a while since someone had done a great tag-team record. Based on that, I was very confident we were going to shit on the summer, and we did it."

2 Stay scared, stay hungry

EL-P "My inspiration comes from the fact I didn't graduate from high school and I'm not qualified to do anything else. That terrifying reality and fear means I force myself to make dope shit."

3 Find a good sparring partner

KM "Having a rap partner is like having a soundboard. It's someone to compete with because you're trying to improve, and having another person who you know is dope is crucial to your development. Once you get respected the danger is you're going to become complacent. For me, Run The Jewels happened at the right time because it put me in the snake pit with a deadly-ass rapper and it keeps me sharp."

4 Evolve to survive

EL-P "You'd be a fool not to move with the industry. There are a lot of people who stomp their feet and scream about the way things are changing. I understand those arguments and I'll even agree with them sometimes. But we wanted everyone to hear this record, so we put it out for free and on our own terms. Both of us have been in situations where we've had to wait, sit around and consult and deal with bureaucracy and all the things that come with putting a record out. I think that we were just, like, 'Let's skip all that shit for now and see if we can compete for hearts and minds.'"

KM "You can't do the same shit for 15 years in rap, you've got to e-fucking-volve."

5 If in doubt, just make dope shit

KM "We're just trying to make dope-ass rap music; that's why I love rapping with El-P. The sole purpose when the beat comes on is: how can we make this thing go off and make motherfuckers' faces go, 'Oooohhhhh'? I don't think that's rooted in marketing savvy, or a target audience; it's rooted in wanting to make dope shit, and we happen to be crazy enough to expect people to want dope shit."